Painters typically use oils, acrylic, and watercolour to create beauty on canvass.

Soliman Poonon is different.

The Indigenous man from the Philippines uses one of the most common and abundant elements found in nature: earth.

Poonon, a soil painter, is a member of the Talaandig, a tribe in the mountainous areas of Bukidnon, a province in the southern region of the Asian country.

The Talaandig are so identified with the distinctive art form that it was once said that their territory might as well be a contender for the title of soil-painting capital of the world.

Poonon, who is in his mid-30s, arrived in Canada in December 2018 to join his young Filipino Canadian family.

Since then, Poonon has been producing works of art, working with Canadian soils that he has started to unearth.

The Surrey-based artist related that, so far, he has found six colours in local soils: white, red, black, pink, brown, and yellow.

Poonon recalled that in his native home, artists get to work 14 colours of soils.

“I’m still new here, and I’m trying to discover what is out there,” Poonon told the Georgia Straight by phone, speaking in Tagalog.

According to Poonon, soil painting is not only an artistic expression for the Talaandig.

It also speaks about the tribe’s deep attachment to the earth, he said.

Also, soils are nontoxic materials.

“It’s natural,” Poonon said. For soil painting, one needs soil, water, and water-based glue as a binding agent.

On Saturday (June 29), Poonon will be hold demonstrations on how to paint with soil in Downtown Vancouver.

The event is one of the activities at a daylong Filipino community celebration at the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery, starting at 10 a.m..

Called Pista ng Bayan (literal translation: community festival), the event is among many that mark the first observance of Filipino Heritage Month across Canada in June 2019. It is organized by the United Filipino Canadian Associations in B.C. (UFCABC).

Filipinos also celebrate in June the annual commemoration of Philippine Independence Day.

Poonon and his colleagues in an arts group called LUMAD will have a booth at the event.

LUMAD stands for "League of United Minds for Arts and Development". It is dedicated to the promotion of Indigenous culture and heritage. The name is also a nod to Lumad, the collective name of Indigenous peoples in the southern region of the Philippines called Mindanao.

The arts collective’s other members include Soliman’s wife Andrea Vargas, Chris Nazaire, Honorio "JR" Guerrero, Mylene Maranoc, and Bert Monterona.

A known muralist and painter, Monterona has deep connections to the Lumad peoples of the Philippines.

Soliman’s wife Andrea told the Straight by phone there will be three soil-painting demonstrations: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.; and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

According to her, there will be canvases and brushes available to the public. The soil is local.